Humidifier for internal-combustion engines



Nov. 5, 1929. F. L. NASH ET AL HUMIDIFIBR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet Nov. 5, 1929. F. L. NASH ET AL HUMIDIFIER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 19. 1928 .5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 5, 1929. F. L. NASH ET AL ,7

HUMIDIFIER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINBS Filed April 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented NOV. 5, 1929 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK L. NASH AND JOSEPH X, OF ROSEMARY, NORTH CAROLINA HUMIDIFIER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTIN ENGINES Application fi1ed April 19, 1928.

Our invention relates to humidifiers for inte1nal combustion engines.

It is common knowledge that an internal combustion engine, particularly of the type using gasoline for fuel, runs more efiicienfly and deveiops more power at night, or When the atmosphere centaine considerab1e moisture. It has been suggested that improved operation of such engines could be obtained by supplying predetermined amounts of moisture to the engine along with the combustible mixture.

' Many devices, of Which We are aware, supply moisture to the iDtake manifold by the suction of the en gine so that the sUpply ol waterisnot only intermittent but the water vapor may enter the engine cylinders in the form of large dropswhich tend to lower the tem perature of the combustible mixture below the 29 point of maximum eificienC and to cause an accumulation of water in the explosion Chamber. r

By the use of apparatus embodying our invention water can be supplied to the engine constantly under air pressure and may be broken up into a fine atomized spray. The possibility of large drops of water entering the engine cylinders is thereb avoided and the engine operates more eificienfly, fuel consumption being reduced and carbon formation being eut clown t0 a minimum.

. lVe Will desu1ibe one form of humidifier embodying our invention and then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevati0n, partly in section, of one form of apparatus embodying our in vention, the apparatusbeing shoWn as applied to the engine of a motor vehicie;

Fig. 2 is a detail of a portion of the apparatus shoWn in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the spray head and mixing chamber associated with the carburet0r intake;

Fig. 4 is a detail view oi:' the spray head employed in the mixing chamber;

Fig. 5 is a fragmental vi.ew partly in sec tion of the sprayhead operating mechanism the section being taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3; and

Serial No. 271,329,

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the air compress0r shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the reference character 1 designfis genera1iy an internal combustion engine to which fuel is supplied from a carburetcr 2 th1ough an intake manifold 3.

A throtfle valve 4controis the fuel supply and is actuated either by a hand throtfle 5 mount ed on the steering wheel 6, or by an accelerat0r 7. F01 the purpose of simplification, the 50 complete accclcrat0r connection is not shown.

Associated with the carburetcr 2 is a cylindrical mixing chamber 8 having a restricted portion 9 connected with the intake 10 of the carburet01. The mixing chamber 8 carrieS at its left hand end, a spray head 11 (Fig. 3) which is adapted to supply and to regulate the moisture supplied to the carbureor. Vater is supplied to the spray head 11 from a tank 12 suitably mounted on the clash 79 of the vehicle. As here shown this tank is secured to the dash by means of a braeket 18. Thistank is connected With the spray head by a pipe 13 which contains a shut ofi valve 14 for cut ting off the supply of water, and a drain ceci 15 niounted adjacent to the mixing chamber 8 for draining ofi" any water Which remains in the pipe. The tank 12 also has a sediment cock 16 in the bottom thereof, thr0ugh which the tank may be drained to prevent the contents from freezing, and to remove any sediment which may collect in the tank after long continued use. A lass 17 secured to tank 12 indicates the depth of the water in the tank. 3

Air is supplied to the spray head 11 from an air tank 19 Carried by a bracket 20 suitably secured to the dash 79, compressed air'being Supplied to this tank by means Of a small air compresscr2l through a pipe 22. The tank 19 is also provided With a oonnection 23 having a branch 24 connected with the spray head 11.

Having pointed out the source of supply of the air and Water, we Will now describe in detail the structure of the spray head 11.

This spray head comprises a hollow body 25, carrying flanges 26 for securing it to the Wall of the mixing chamber 8. The right hand end of the body 25 isinternally threaded for the reception of a hollow plug 27 Which con-tains a water chamber 28. Threaded into the Wall of the plug 27 and connecting with the chamber 28 is a threaded nipple 29 to WlliCil the water inlet pipe 13 is connected by a screw cap 30. T he loft hand end of the plug 27 carries a Cap 31 With a suitable pack ing for rendering liquid tight a needle 86 Which passes therethrough. Ileedle 36 has a conical shoulder 36" ncar its pointed end. The paeking in cap 31 may be compressed by rotating the cap, suitable openings 80 being provided for the insertion of a tool. The iorward end et plug 27 oarries a conioal shell 32 having an aperture 38 in the front thereof and directly in line with the passagervav through the plug. An air conneotion to the shell is provided by means of an e: :tnded portion 34 connected rvith the air pipe 2%. The plug 2T'als0 has threaded into its right hand end a small nipple 35 havinga conioal needle valve seat 37 in its lett hand end and through whioh passes the needle 36 and which cooperates with conical sl1onlder 36 En its right hand position this needle contacts vvith valve scat 37 to prevent Water irom the chamber 28 from passing out through the nipple The needle 36 has sharp point 3-6 Which in the closed position of tne needle alve projects through the opening 33 in cap 32 so as to prevent accumulation o dirt in this opening. Longitudinal adjustment of the needle 36 is provided for by means ofa hollow screW plug 38 which may be moved in and out to limit the horizontal throw or the needle 36.

VJater entering the chamber 28 from pipe 13 may pass out through the needle valve 'between seat 37 and shoulder 86 and then'ce through the aperture 33 in shell 32. Itwill be seen thatthe relation between shell 32and niople 35 is such as to form a substantiallv annnlar chamber to which compressed air is supplied from pipe 2%. The air entering this chamber underpressure is given a swirling motion et high velocity and when this air encounters the fine stream of water ejected through the needle valve, the water is broken up into a very nelv atomized spray. This spray is thrown ont axial ly from the aper ture 33 through the mixing cha1nber toward intake 10 where it is drarvn in and mingles with the combustible mixture supplied to the carburetor.

Actuation of the needle 36 is produced bv connection with the engine throttle 4:. The

needle 36 carries two rigid collars mounted thereon and petweenwhich moves theforlzed end lG of a lever 40 pivoted about a pin 41 which passes through portion of the Wall et member 25. 'In smnoh as the tl1r valve arm swingsthrough a co11siderable arc in opening the tl1rottle and the 'needle need have only a very limited movement for controlling the position of the needle valve,

a lest motion oonneotion must be provided between these memoers. As here shown arm 70 is provided Wltl l an elongated slot 72 which cooperates with a pivot pin 7 3 carried by the right hand end of a rod 74. Rod 74 is rigid 70 iy connected to one end of a coil spring this spring being arranged for limited longi-' tudinal movement within a casing 76. At-

tached to the other end of spring 75, at 78,

is a s cond rod 77 xvhioh is connected to the 7 needle valve operating arm 40 by means of a hall-and socket joint-22. It Will be clear that when hand throttle 5 is moved so as to open the tl1rottle 4: the arm 70 Will be rotated in a counter-clockvvise direction by means of the rod 71 and the lever 8l which are connected with the thr0ttle lever 5. As the ann 70 -ates the pin 73 connected xvith therod t ansmits motion to the spring 75. \Vhen the rod 74: moves toward the leffit, motion is msmitted through the spring 75 and rod to the needle 36 to open the valve. The 'esilienoy of spring 75 is suoh as to limit the 1otion of: the lever 40 to a short arc and ince the pivot pin 41 is very close to the n edle 86, the motion of the needle valve is t i1rtlrer diminished. By varying the ton ;ion ot spring 75 and the length oftheslot 2 in arm 70, an v desired relation between the movenrents of the throttle '4: and the needle 36 may be seoured.

We Will now desoribe the compresser 21 which is provided for the purpose0f supplying compressed air to the tank 19. As here shovvn this compressor is secured to the vehicle chassis and to the engine by brackts and 44, respectively. Suitably journzfiled xvithin the compressor wall is a shaft 45 carf, ing a pulley 46 driven by a belt 47, this belt being connected to the crank shaft 49 of the engine by a second pulley 48. Se-

ured to the shaft 45 'within the compressor ramber are two eccentrics 50 arranged to oduce reciprocating motion of a piston 51.

e top xvall of the compresser is providea With an inlet valve 62, and an outlet valve 52. nlet valve 62 is normally held in 'closed position by a light spring 6% butduring doxvnvvard travel of the piston 51 atmospheric pressure is sufiicient to overcome the tension 01 spring 64 so that air rushes into the piston chamber. Outlet valve 52 'is biased to mosed position by a spring 53 but when piston 51 mores upwardly the pressure of the air overcomes the force of spring 53andthe 120 air is or'ced ont throughthe valve and thence throngh pipe 22 to tank 19.

In order to prevent the pressure within tank 19 from exceeding a predtermined amonnt, he're talren as fifteen pounds per square inch, We prOvide 'd-iaphragmvalve 54 carried by a suit-able brackt 55 secured to the casing or the compresser. This valve contains a diaphragm 58 which is movzible doxv.nwardly whenever pressure in pipe 23 builds up above the amount for which the device is set. The diaphragm 56 operates a pin 57 suitably seeured thereto by a head 58 and a nut 59. This diaphragm is normally biased to its upward position by a spring 60 held in position and at any tension by an apertured plug 61. The pin 57 is arranged to contact with a head 63 on valve 62 and to open this valve whenever the pressure above diaphragm 56 builds up above the amount for Which spring 60 is adjusted. The valve 62 is therefore adapted to operate both as an inlet valve for the compressor, and as an unloading valve in case the pressure within tank 19 exceeds a predetermined amount. lVhenever the piston 51 moves downward, air is drawn in through the valve 62 and when the piston 51 moves upwardly this valve is held closed by the pressure built up above the piston. If the pressure in tank 19 exceeds fifteen pounds per square inch, the diaphragm 56 is moved clownwardly due to pressure accumulating in pipe 23 so that valve 62 is opened to allow the air within the compresser t0 escape. In case it is clesired to cut off the supply of compressed air to the tank 19, we provide an escape cock 65 which may be opened.

As an additional safeguard against excessive pressure being generated within the tank 19, a safety valve 67 is associated there- With, and the valve may be set to allow the air within the tank t0 escape whenever the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined amount. A pressure gage 68 mounted on the instrument board 66 of the vehicle is supplied with air pressure from tank 19 through a pipe 6.9, and indicates to the driver of the vehicle what the air pressure within the tank is.

The operation of the device is as follows Whenever the engine is running, the compresser 21 operates to supply compressed air to the tank 19 and this air is delivered to the spray head 11 through pipes 23 and 241, and thence to the opening .33 in the front of the spray head Where it escapes. When the air pressure in tank 19 builds up to a suitable amount, the valve 14 on the dash of the vehicle is opened allowing water from the tank 12 to feed by gravity through pipe 13 to the chamber 28 of the spray head. Vhen the throttle of the engine is opened the needle 36 of the spray head needle valve is moved to the left far enough to open the valve and allow water from the chamber 28 to escape to the inside of the nipple 85 and reach the opening 33 in the front of this nip ple. At this point the water encounters the swirling air which is supplied to the interior of the cap 32 from the pipe 24 and is broken up into a fine atomized spray which is forced outwardly through the mixing chamber 8 to intake 10 where it is drawn through the carburetor 2 and into the engine cylinders along with the combustible mixture from the carburetor.

External air for the carburetor enters the mixing chamber 8 through louvers 42 and enters the carburetor intake 10 al ong with the atomized water from spray head 11. As the speed of theengine isvaried by opening and closing the throttle valve 4 the needle valve opens and closes t0 vary the amount of atom ized water supplied to the intake manifold and by suitable initial adjustment of the lever -arms, the supply of water may be made to produce the most eflicient operation of the engine for each amount of fuel which is supplied thereto.

It Will be manifest that the humidifying apparatus which ive have described is suitable for use in coinbination with any internal combustion engine and that the structure which we have described can be applied to an engine without material modification of the normal working parts thereof.

Although we have herein shoWn and described only one form of humidifying apparatus embodying our invention, it will be obvious that various changes may be made in the details thereof, within the scope of the appended clain1s, without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

lVhat is claimed is:-

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a carburetor, of a source of water; a source of compressed air for atomizing the water; a mixing chamber connected to said carburetor; a spray head axially disposed within said chamber and connected With said source of water and vvith said source of compressed air; and means controlled by the engine throttle for varying the amount of water supplied to said spray head.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a carburetor; a mixing chamber connected with the intake of said carburetor; a spray head within said chamber disposed in axial alinement with said intake; means for supplying wvater to said spray head; and means controlled by the engine throttle for varying the amount of water supplied to said spray head.

3. The combination with a gasoline engine having a carburetor, of a mix1ng chamber connected with said carburetor; a spray headaxially disposed within said chamber; means for supplying water to said spray head; means for supplying compressed air atconstant pressure to said spray head; and means controlled by the engine throttle for controlling the water supplied to said spray head.

4. The combination with an internal combustion engine, having a carburetor, of a mixing chamber connected with the intake of said carburetor; a spray head axially disposedwithin said chamber; means for supplying eompressedair atconstant pressure w air inlet; means for supplyi wate1 t0 5 50 said spray head; means for supplying water to said spray head; and a needle valve wishin sad spray head fox controlng the supply of water to said. head, saidva1ve being *actuated from the engine throttle.

5. The combinaon withm1 internzfl combustion engine having a carburetor, of a mixing chamber connected to the ncake of said carburecor; means ior supplying water -O=Sid ehember; acompressed air tank; un air compresser for supplying air 'EO saidtank; msms forlimiting the pressure in sid tank t0 a pedetermined vaine; means for supply -ing air from sad'tank'to sad chamber for aomizing the water supplied =thereto; and lest motion means conrofled by the engine h-1Otsle for contrefling the amount of water su 3pfied to said chamber.

6. The mbnabion withm1 internal combusen en ine and a carburetor theref0r said Carburet0r having a substanaly horizontaty disposed air inlet; of a spray hea mounted adjacent said izflet and having 2111 out1e aperture in axalalinememt with s t spray head; a source si, cemprossed au 10;

atomizingg the water and spmying i axia1y inco -the air in1et; and means controlled by the engine throttle for varyng the amount O Wate1' supplied to said spray-head.

In testimony whereof We have signed our Dames -50 this specificaton.

FRANK L. NSH.

JOSEPH E. 00K. 

